1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to molded countertops for use particularly in kitchens and bathrooms and, more particularly, to a novel mold process for producing a finished solid surface countertop.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various processes and procedures are known in the art for producing solid surface and cultured marble countertops. The term solid-surface pertains to a material where there is no painted or laminated skin or outer surface. With solid surface materials, small scratches and burns, etc. are sanded or buffed out.
The industry for solid surfacing began approximately twenty five years ago when Dupont Inc. developed a high quality surfacing material known commercially as Corian. Since the early 1980's, several major manufacturers have developed their own brand of solid surface products. For the most part, these products are expensive to produce and are distributed in nominal sized sheets that are fabricated by cutting the sheet into the desired countertop shape and re-bounding by adhesive or the like to a substrate surface.
More recently, spray-on solid surface materials, such as those commercially known as Safas and Granulon, have come into use. In one known application, these spray-on materials are coated over an inexpensive material, such as a particle board or other substrate which is already shaped in the desired fashion. Once the spray-on material has dried, a lengthy sanding and finishing process is required to bring the finish up to the desired quality and there still is a need to remove pinholes exposed during this process which are a by-product of spray-on coatings of this type. Such sanding and finishing processes are necessary for providing the necessary finish and are normally too labor intensive to be workable in today's production countertop industry.